KC DOG BLOG

Demo Book Deal

Ok, I think a few of the details of this post have changed since I originally wrote it, but I know the core mission of the Demo Book Deal and the proceeds of the book sales going to rescues has not. So how about it?  Need a few presents for the young kids in your family? Buy a couple of great books -- with great writing and awesome illustrations -- and help out a good cause in the process. 

Here's the original post:

The folks over at Demo: The Story of a Junkyard Dog are doing their 3rd Annual Holiday Contest.

Their goal is to sell 300, holiday sale priced copies of Demo between now and January 1st. 20% of all the proceeds from their book sales will go to a winning 'pit bull' rescue organization and two copies of the books will be "Pawtographed" by four of the Mike Vick dogs --- Jonny Justice, Uba, Hector and Jhumpa.

You can get all of the details here, as well as vote for your favorite Bully Rescue -- there are a lot of great ones to choose from including my local group MABBR.

Post Veterans Day Post

I'm a day late, but I found these videos this morning and they're too touching not to post.  Over at mental floss, they have a series of youtube videos of dogs greeting their owners when they get back from their service trips.  It's pretty touching stuff -- not just on how much these dogs missed their owners, but how much these soldiers missed their dogs.

My thanks to all of the men and women who are actively risking their lives serving our country both here and over seas, and the sacrifices you've made in leaving your families behind.

More videos here.

Hat tip Good.

Great Friday Reads

I usually try to add this as part of the weekly roundup, but there have been some great posts from around the internet the past 10 days or so and I just really want to put them out there for some excellent reading.  I really do encourage you to click through -- some great stuff out there.

Sam theDog Trainer has a very good new article on some of the causes for dogs biting young children. The keys are supervision children and dogs, providing proper training and exercise for your dog, and not creating a stressful environment for your dog.

Great news from Austin Pets Alive -- the Austin city council unanimously passed the resolution to make the necessary steps to make Austin a no-kill city. Here's a link to the shelter recommendations on how they plan to achieve no kill.

The folks at Animal Ark Foundation in Minneapolis have a great You Tube video they put together on how the animal welfare industry lost their way -- based on the book Redemption. It's very much worth watching -- it's 20 minutes long but goes very quickly.

Fred at One Bark at a Time has a really great article about dog bites.  The reality is that most dog bites happen for a reason -- and it is usually caused by something the human did wrong. The more we understand dog behavior, the more we can properly assess whether a biting dog is truly aggressive or not. Fred shares a couple of personal stories that provide great examples for discussion.  I'm a fan of Fred's writing (and photography), but I think his telling of personal stories like this are him at his best.

Christie had a great article in the San Franscisco Chronicle about why dog advocates aren't moving on when it comes to Michael Vick's unpaid dues.  Vick's actions went far beyond dog fighting and into nearly unspeakable animal cruelty...for which Vick has never shown even the slightest bit of remorse.

This one is seemingly a bit random, but this is an article by John Stossel one what he feels like is a double-standard that journalists seem to have about bias. When Stossel first started as a journalist, he mostly reported about companies that were trying to screw over consumers (he has some interesting thoughts on this), and when he was doing it, other journalist liked him. But now that he has turned his focus onto the government and media and its constant fear mongering.  I think it's a pretty good read following my series on the Science of Fear a few weeks ago.  For what it's worth, I did a write-up about Stossel's Series: Fear Mongering in America back in 2007 - -you can read those installments here, here, here and here.

PBRC has launched a new blog called Pitter Patter. The site is mostly really cute pictures of 'pit bulls' in really funny moments and with funny headlines. Think of it as the LOLcats for 'pit bulls'.  Nearly guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

YesBiscuit has a good commentary on "What if we all neutered our pets today?" in response to the push for mandatory spay/neuter in Northeast Georgia.

PBRC Halloween Contest

I'm just getting back in the groove after a few days of R&R and being completely away from a computer. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out the entries from this year's PBRC Halloweed Costume Contest. This is a great thing they do every year that provides a fun look at our dogs. Sometimes in the heat of all the prejudice we face, and the laws we fight against every day, it's easy to lose sight of the fun and joy they bring to our lives. So check out the photos of this year's contestants. Fun stuff.

Merry Christmas from my Gang

They tried to sit still --  but the excitement of Christmas morning (mom and dad stay home today!) was almost too much for them.  Hope your Christmas is just as exciting.

Congrats to SweetP

I'm like a proud father tonight.  Tonight, SweetP earned her CGC. 

Because of all the craziness over the past few years on a BSL front, we've been spending a lot more time in city council chambers than actually training our dogs. So, this fall, we dedicated ourselves to them getting their CGCs.

Tonight, SweetP passed. I was a little surprised really. The wife has been working with her in the training classes, but due to travel schedules, I had to actually lead her through the test. But she passed with flying colors. Well done!

Grommit, however, didn't pass. SweetP was a little distressed being in the strange kennel at the testing facility and Grommit was too focused on SweetP and way less focused on me.  So it was an odd night for Grommit. 

While I was worried about his focus on the stays and waits, he did great on those, and failed on two tasks that are actually his strong suits.  One was admittedly my fault.

First, because he was focused on SweetP, he just wouldn't lay for me.  He tried, a couple of times, but just wouldn't let himself go down.  The other failure was handler error.  I completely let him down on the dog meeting part by not having him sit. He was just so distracted, I wanted to make it "easier" on him and not make him have to do more. With no job to do while I shook the other handler's hand, he got bored and decided to try and play with the other dog.  Bummer.

But one down, two to go. I don't question that under different circumstances Grommit would have passed.  So I'll get him after the first of the year. We'll also then jump to our tougher task....Stell.

The KC Dog Blog Guide to Black Friday

I'm not a big fan of big shopping days -- and more to the point, the large crowds of people who push people out of the way because their shopping experience is more important than mine.  Because of that, I'm a pretty big fan of online shopping, so here are a couple of the KC Dog Blog picks for gifts for the dog lovers in your life.

Redemption:  The Myth of Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution. 

Anyone who cares about saving the lives of animals and wants to help save their lives NEEDs to read this book.  If you know someone  who wants to help save the lives of animals, this is an absolute must read for them. Winograd looks at the humane animal movement and looks at its history, and how it went from a movement that looked to save the lives of animals to one that is responsible for killing millions of animals annually - -and how that can be changes, quickly. 

   The Pit Bull Placebo -- Karen Delise reviews the history of the reporting of dog attacks in this country -- following different breeds of dogs through their time in the media spotlight.  She talks about the rise of the American Pit Bull Terrier into the spotlight, how it got there, and why it seems so much worse in the public perception than other breeds of dogs in the past (hint, the internet provides us a lot more access to information from around the world).  If you know of anyone who has a passion for bully breeds it is definitely a must-read.

But not everything at the holidays needs to serious.  Bad Rap has what appears to be a great calendar featuring rehabilitated dogs from the Mike Vick Bad Newz Kennels bust. Each month features one of the dogs along with a bit of the dog's story.   You can order a copy here. 

Along the same lines, one of my annual favorites is the Unexpected Pit Bull Calendar.

 Roo and Wallace (probably more Roo) have a line of Wallace Pit Crew shirts. They're doing a special deal that includes a Wallace Shirt and a Wallace Frisbee in the same package. This is great for any frisbee catching dog fans.  You can find out more about it here.  

 For the kids in your household, check out the story of Demo: The Story of a Junkyard Dog.  Demo is a heartwarming story about a dog that was cast out by his owner because he was not mean, and the friendship he makes with a young boy that is also a bit of an outcast.

The folks at Demo have had a good year.  Not only is the book easily found on Amazon, but they have also increased distribution to include Barnes and Noble book stores.  They are also doing a promotion online-- giving prizes to people who buy the book online -- and giving prizes to the folks who buy the most Demo books by the end of the month.  So use the book as a stocking stuffer or buy a few copies and donate them to your local public library. It really is a great read with outstanding artwork.

Another cute book is Indognito. This is probably not one that would have been on my radar screen, but they sent me a free copy so I checked in out. The book is almost entirely pictures of dogs that are dressed in costumes.  The book is cute enough for sure, although I really wish they had used more "real' dogs instead of so many designer breeds.  But to each their own. If you know someone who has small dogs, loves small dogs, and really likes costumes, the pictures really are cute and well done.

And finally, check out the newest installment of the Chicken Soup Series -- Chicken Soup for the Soul: Loving our Dogs.  This is another book I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of. I've read most of the stories now and there really are a lot of heartwarming, eye-watering stories about people's love for dogs, and dog's love for people. They are really great stories and the type you'd expect from the Chicken Soup series of books.  So if you know someone who loves animals, they will love this book.  I'll publish one of the stories from the book in its entirety later this weekend -- and I have 2 extra copies of the book that I will give away to a couple of readers.  So stay tuned for the first ever KC Dog Blog contest and we'll see how creative I can be on how I determine the winners. 

Good luck in your shopping and dog walking adventures today.

Awe shucks

  I've won an award. And not just any award, the presitgious Superior Scribbler award. Thanks Caveat for the award.  That's pretty cool.  It's always nice when someone enjoys your work and what you do. So thanks for the award! 

So with that, let's get onto the formalities. Here are the Superior Scribbler Award Rules:

• * Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
•  
• * Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
•  
• * Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
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• * Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
• Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

So with that, I now have to pick five bloggers who deserve the award, and only 5. So with that, let me set up my criteria. For my criteria, I  am picking people who have blogs that I subscribe to in my RSS feed, that post regularly, that I find their information and point of view to be well thought out, well-written, and make me think. I'm also going to venture outside the world of dogs for my five. Also, corporate blogs were eliminated.

There were several blogs that I love, but don't post regularly enough to make the cut, these include The Kansas City Post and 12th and Main are two of those.  There is another, The No Kill Nation, that I eliminated only because it has so many different contributors it barely meets the critera for a true blog -- but definitely a necessary and great read.  I also had to take out a couple of my favorites because Luisa and Selma have already gotten the award.

So with that, here are my painfully chosen top 5:

1) The No Kill Blog. This is Nathan Winograd's blog -- and knowing how busy he is, he probably won't be able to pass this award along, but his blog is a must read for anyone who cares about the animal welfare movement -- and many of his posts really make me think about things a bit differently. 

2)  Blog KC.  Short posts provide a quick point of view on many things throughout Kansas City politics and the social scene.

3) Indexed.  This blog is so uniqe, so insightful, Jessica even got a  book deal out of it. Simple graphs that really make you say hmmmm.

4) Joe Posnanski.  I love Joe. I've never met him, but I just love his work, and how he writes. Joe is a sports writer for the Kansas City Star, and is a baseball numbers geek. However, his favorite sports writer, Mitch Albom, is the author of a couple of books, including the Five People You Meet in Heaven...which is one of my favorite books I've ever read. Joe has written a lot about Buck O'Neil, including two books, that are excellent reads that are about a baseball man, but talk about social issues like race far more than they talk about baseball. His blog post today is probably Joe at his best...as is this article in Sports Illustrated.  And these stories, again, are barely about sports.  He's the best.

5) Dolittler.  Dr. Kuhly sounds like an excellent vet -- and I really love hearing her take on different issues of animal health and animal welfare. A VERY good read.

How good at telling a dog's breed are you?

I just saw this over at the USA Today website. It's fairly old, but since it's new to me I thought I'd pass it along.  They have an interactive test that has you match the dog's picture to a description of the dog's DNA profile. 

Take the quiz here.

 I only missed one -- but it's not the most difficult quiz imaginable.

But imagine in places where some breeds are outlawed and missing one is a life or death decision for someone's pet.

PBRC 3rd Annual Halloweed Costume Contest

  PBRC is hosting their 3rd Annual Halloween Costume Contest online. 94 dogs are entered including the 3 picturs on this page.

The pics rank pretty highly on both the cute and hilarious meters.

Check out the photos and vote on your favorite. 

Last year's winners are here.